Just got my Firecracker Hottie her July 4th birthday present-a new yaller Hobie Sport, so bear with me. Will be posting my observations/comparisons over the next few weeks. First off, I have to believe the Hobie engineers/designers knew exactly what they were doing in figuring the size of the Sport tankwell. Turns out that it is exactly the right dimensions for the Igloo 25 quart marine cooler when placed crosswise. Perfect fit with eyestraps for tiedowns in just about the right position in the gunwale tray. Here is a view towards the stern.

View forward from the stern showing the Igloo 25. It is a nice snug fit, but probably still needs bungees on the tie-down loops built into this ice chest.

View of the SS shackle on my Igloo tie-down loops with short 10 inch SS hook bungees knotted around the shackle. Makes a fairly secure connection. Note another apparent design plus by the Hobie engineers-if you fold the handles flush against the ice chest, it still allows use of the built-in rod holders on each side (i.e., if you insert your rods with the reels facing outwards!).

Of course, you can always mount the Igloo 25 lengthwise in the tankwell if you wish. I tried it both ways and each has its advantages. The lengthwise mount permits better access to the entire ice chest from just one side of the yak, whereas with the crosswise rig we flexibility-challenged folks would probably have to access each side separately…